Athens man arrested on theft by deception charges

An Athens man was arrested Friday after the Limestone County Sheriff's Office say he allegedly took money to do vehicle repairs and failed to complete the work or return the money to the vehicle’s owner.

28-year-old Austin Smith Clem was charged with theft by deception and booked into the Limestone County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $5,000 bond.

The victim reported the incident on March 28 after hiring Clem who worked for Extreme Performance and paying him about $3,000 to complete work on a vehicle.